Golden Lay Verses

Verse 298 (மந்திர வைப்பு)

தமிழ் பாடல்

காலமிலாக் கோடிவட்டக் ககனத் துள்ளே

காலனையே வீழ்த்திவிட்ட கைலா சத்தின்

வாலையுடன் விளையாடித் தெய்வ மாகும்

வழிவாசி யாமஜபா மந்த்ர மார்க்கம்

காலதைநா லெட்டென்னும் கதியில் வாங்கி

கணக்கதனை யீரெட்டுக் கதியில் நீங்கி

காலதற வேமதியின் பிறையில் வீங்கி

காலமற்ற பிந்துமணிப் பீடத் தோங்கி

Transliteration

kaalamilaak koodivattak kakanath thuLLEE

kaalanaiyE veezhththivitta kailaa saththin

vaalaiyudan viLaiyaadith theyva maakum

vazhi vaasi yaamajapaa manthra maarkkam

kaalathainaa lettennum kathiyil vaangi

kaNakkathanai yeerettuk kathiyil neengi

kaalathaRa vEmathiyin piRaiyil veengi

kaalamathRa pinthumaNip peedath thoongi

Literal Translation

In the time-less, crore-circled expanse of the sky within—

(of) that Kailāsa which has thrown down even Death (Kālan) itself—

playing with the “vālai,” one becomes divine;

(the) path: vāsi, the Ajapā-mantra method.

Taking “time” in the course (gati) called “four–eight,”

leaving behind the reckoning in the course of “two–eight,”

swelling in the crescent of the mind, with time loosened,

rising upon the pedestal of the gem of the time-less bindu.

Interpretive Translation

Within the inner “sky” (subtle space) where countless circles/lotuses unfold beyond ordinary time,

there is an interior Kailāsa—the seat where Death is conquered.

By engaging the “vālai” (a cryptic sign for a yogic instrument: breath/serpent-tail/energy),

one becomes godlike through the way of vāsi-yoga and the Ajapā mantra.

Passing through stages marked by number-courses (“four–eight,” then “two–eight”),

one drops reliance on counting and measure;

the mind-moon waxes into fullness (or rests in Śiva’s crescent),

and awareness is established in the bindu-jewel seat—timeless, beyond decay and death.

Philosophical Explanation

The verse compresses a Siddhar yogic map into astronomical imagery.

1) “Sky within” and “crore-circles”: “Kaganam” (sky/space) in Siddhar usage often points to the inner space of consciousness and also the cranial vault (brahmarandhra region). “Kōḍi-vattam” (crores of circles) can read as (a) innumerable inner mandalas/cakras, (b) the thousand(-plus) petalled sahasrāra lotus, or (c) cyclical time itself—here declared “kālam-ilā” (not bound to time).

2) “Kailāsa that fells Death”: Kailāsa is both Śiva’s abode and, in yogic physiology, a summit-center where amṛta/nectar, stillness, and deathlessness are intimated. “Casting down Kālan” (Yama/Death) signals the Siddhar claim: mastery of prāṇa and mind yields a state where time’s governance (aging, fear, mortality) is overcome.

3) “Vāsi, Ajapā mantra, and the cryptic ‘vālai’: “Vāsi” points to vāsi-yoga: refining breath so it becomes subtle, silent, and eventually ‘ceases’ as coarse respiration. Ajapā mantra is the ‘unuttered’ mantra that rides the breath (classically haṃsa/so’ham), practiced as continuous awareness rather than voiced repetition. The line “playing with the vālai” suggests a deliberate yogic manipulation—something handled skillfully and even playfully once mastery arises.

4) Number-courses (“four–eight,” “two–eight”) and abandoning reckoning: Siddhar texts frequently encode pranayama ratios, internal counts (mātrā), stages of kumbhaka, or progressive refinements of breath into number language. The move from “taking time” to “leaving calculation” implies: early practice uses measured counts, but advanced absorption transcends measure itself; time is revealed as a function of mind–breath movement.

5) “Crescent of the mind” and “bindu-gem seat”: Mind is traditionally lunar (mati/moon). “Crescent” may mean the mind becoming luminous and steady (waxing toward fullness), or it may invoke Śiva’s crescent (candrakalā), implying entry into Śaiva stillness. “Bindu” is the subtle ‘drop/point’—seed of attention, seminal/nectar symbol, or the focal point where prāṇa and mind merge. The “bindu-maṇi pīṭam” (jewel-throne of bindu) is the stabilized culmination: awareness enthroned in the subtlest center, described as timeless.

Key Concepts

  • kālam-ilā (timelessness)
  • kaganam (inner space / cranial space)
  • Kailāsa as inner yogic summit
  • Kālan (Yama/Death) and conquest of mortality
  • vāsi-yoga (subtle breath discipline)
  • Ajapā mantra (haṃsa/so’ham as unceasing mantra)
  • numerical codes for yogic stages (four–eight, two–eight)
  • transcending mātrā/counting and time-measure
  • mati (mind) as moon; crescent symbolism
  • bindu (seed-point/drop) and bindu-maṇi pīṭam (jewel-seat)

Ambiguities or Multiple Readings

  • “kōḍi-vattam” (crore-circles) may denote the sahasrāra’s innumerable petals, inner mandalas, or the cycles of time being transcended.
  • “kaganam” can be read as (a) the vast space of consciousness, (b) the cranial cavity/brahmarandhra region, or (c) the subtle ether element (ākāśa) in yogic physiology.
  • “vālai” is intentionally cryptic: it may indicate the ‘tail’ of the serpent (kuṇḍalinī), the breath-current itself, a specific nāḍī/energy-lever, or another coded yogic ‘instrument.’
  • “nāl etṭu” (four–eight) and “īr etṭu” (two–eight) could encode pranayama counts/ratios, stages of kumbhaka, sets of tattvas/kalās, or other numerological progressions; the verse does not fix a single decoding.
  • “matiyin pirai” (crescent of the mind) can signify (a) the mind becoming cool and luminous like the moon, (b) Śiva’s crescent (candrakalā) suggesting Śaiva absorption, or (c) a subtle lunar center associated with nectar/amṛta.
  • “pindu” (bindu) can mean a concentration point of awareness, a seed-drop linked to seminal/nectar alchemy, or a metaphysical ‘point’ where dualities collapse; Siddhar usage often keeps these meanings layered rather than exclusive.